Manual Upgrades to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean Available for GSM Galaxy Nexus

Google has started to deliver the new Android 4.1 Jelly Bean software update to the HSPA+ flavor of Galaxy Nexus over the air, yet only a few people will receive it immediately.

The update will roll out in stages, which means that many users will still have to wait a few days before it reaches them. Moreover, those who own a standard GSM version of the device, as well as those using Galaxy Nexus on CDMA / LTE networks will have to wait a bit longer for it to arrive. However, the update is also available for manual download from the web, and those who would like to install it can grab it this way, through their computers. One thing that should be noted right from the start, however, is that it will require for the device to be rooted, and that an unlocked bootloader is also a great thing to go with. Unfortunately, there is no way to install the update if you are running the full stock ROM on your smartphone, and those who haven’t tweaked their devices yet can either wait for the official OTA update to arrive, or can choose to unlock the handset and get Jelly Bean up and running today.

The software requires for either JRN84D (Android 4.1) or IMM76I (Android 4.0.4) firmware versions to be installed on the target handset, a recent post on Android Police reads. This is only the update build for the Galaxy Nexus, not the full ROM, which means that it should leave all personal files on the device unharmed.  There are two different update files available for download at the moment, both for the takju variant of Galaxy Nexus, which is being sold directly through Google (one for each of said firmware versions). No files for yakju, the international unlocked GSM flavor, have emerged as of yet. The specific steps to root, unlock the Galaxy Nexus and install the new Android 4.1 Jelly Bean upgrade on it can be found in this thread on XDA-Developers.

Just keep in mind that, although the process is rather simple, it still requires the rooting of your phone, which will void warranty. As usual, users will be the only ones to be held responsible provided than anything goes wrong during the installation process.

Samsung Galaxy Nexus
Image credits to Samsung

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